Chapter Forty-Nine: The Divine Clan’s Hidden Affairs

Gu Daozhen was drenched in cold sweat, his teeth chattering as he stammered, "What kind of sorcery was that? I almost lost control of my meridians and nearly exploded from within! Even my soul feels weak..."

"Brother Gu, what on earth just happened? I nearly died right here," said the royal elder.

"We were all drawn into an illusion," Gu Daozhen recalled, shivering at the memory of that lethal mirage. "I saw wealth, power, my strength at its peak—then suddenly, utter terror. The most dreadful part was that the illusion affected our bodies as well, causing our meridians to run wild and even threatening the annihilation of our souls."

The master of the Seven Stars Pavilion frowned in confusion. "What kind of sorcery is this? Why is it so terrifying? And what should we do now?"

"We're all gravely injured—what else can we do? We must each return to our sects to recuperate. It will take at least three to five years before we're well again," Gu Daozhen said after a moment's thought.

The royal elder sighed. "It seems there's no other way. Fortunately, the enemy withdrew, or we would surely be dead."

Thus, the three, gravely wounded, returned to their respective factions.

...

Through the river, Gu Xingyuan carried Chen Mu, swiftly moving with the current. After drifting for some time and confirming they were not being followed, Gu Xingyuan finally came ashore.

Looking at Chen Mu's lifeless body, Gu Xingyuan felt a wave of sorrow. Chen Mu had lost half his body—there was no hope for him. Gu Xingyuan found a spot in the forest and buried Chen Mu there. He took nothing from his disciple, for not only did he have no desire for Chen Mu's possessions, but as his nominal direct disciple, how could a master stoop to taking from his own pupil?

He said nothing aloud, but in his heart, he vowed to devote the rest of his life to avenging this wrong against the three sects and the Grand Xia royal family.

And so Gu Xingyuan departed, leaving Chen Mu alone, interred in the earth.

A few days later, the destruction of the Starwatching Valley sent shockwaves through Grand Xia. Gu Xingyuan was declared a wanted criminal throughout the land. Rumors spread that during the gathering of heroes, a little fiend had emerged from the Starwatching Valley, butchering disciples of many sects—this fiend was none other than Chen Mu.

The royal family made a great show of publicizing Chen Mu's alleged atrocities—how wicked he was, how bloodthirsty—before proclaiming that the Biluodao Sect had finally executed him. In these accounts, the three sects and the royal house were portrayed as paragons of justice, while the Starwatching Valley was painted as base and corrupt, and Chen Mu as the epitome of evil.

Many in Fancheng who knew Chen Mu suspected there was more to the story, but none dared speak for him. The waters ran too deep—seeking justice for him was courting death.

In these same days, the Chen family was also thrown into turmoil. Chen Haoran was expelled and vanished without a trace; the grand elder became acting clan leader, arrogant and unassailable, while the clan's younger members heaped curses on Chen Mu, denouncing him as utterly depraved and deserving of death.

In the great hall of the Biluodao Sect, Gu Daozhen roared in fury, "What? There never was any 'Wood Daoist' in the Starwatching Valley?"

Xiao Jueqing, the turncoat, replied nervously, "That's right, Sect Master. As the discipline elder, it's my duty to keep records of everyone's identities. This is the first time I've ever heard of a 'Wood Daoist.'"

"Impossible! Chen Mu was clearly a disciple of your Starwatching Valley's Wood Daoist!"

"Sect Master, I can't say whether Chen Mu was ever taught by the Wood Daoist, but I do know he was once taken as a direct disciple by Gu Xingyuan after entering the inner sect."

"How can this be? This doesn't match any of our intelligence! Who exactly is this Wood Daoist, and which force does he belong to?"

Xiao Jueqing pondered a moment. "Could it be that Chen Mu took on another master? He was originally of very poor talent—after two years of cultivation, only six meridians opened. It was only recently that he suddenly erupted and grew to his current strength."

"It seems the Wood Daoist was never a Starwatching Valley alchemist. The key figure is still Chen Mu, yet he is dead. How can we now find the Wood Daoist?"

"Sect Master, since Gu Xingyuan shielded Chen Mu at every turn, I suspect he knows about the Wood Daoist—otherwise, why accept Chen Mu as his direct disciple? I suggest we capture Gu Xingyuan alive and extract the truth from him."

Gu Daozhen nodded and dismissed everyone. Alone in the hall, he paced, then suddenly coughed up blood—his injuries were even graver than he had feared. For now, he would let Gu Xingyuan go free; once recovered, he would hunt him down and demand the Wood Daoist's whereabouts.

Time passed, and Grand Xia once again returned to calm.

...

A few days after Gu Xingyuan's departure, a strange phenomenon occurred at the site where Chen Mu had been buried—a sprout emerged from the earth, quickly growing into a towering plant.

This plant resembled neither tree nor vine; its main stem was thick, yet it had no branches or leaves. In an instant, without blooming, it bore fruit: red as crystal, lustrous and translucent, yet empty within.

But the most bizarre aspect lay beneath the soil—a sight that would chill any onlooker. The roots of this plant were in fact Chen Mu's body, the main stem growing directly from him.

At that moment, the black pearl within Chen Mu's spiritual sea stirred, moving through his body into the plant's stem, then into the heart of the crystal fruit.

There, the pearl became the center of a growing embryo, which drew the essence of Chen Mu's flesh through the plant, transforming and reshaping it. The black pearl was not merely restoring Chen Mu's body, but reconstructing it—referencing the original blueprint of his race, then using the power of life to alter it into another form.

This existence was ancient and shrouded in mystery—a race so old that even the histories of the Immortal Domain had forgotten it, the very race to which the pearl's original master belonged.

As the embryo quickened, Chen Mu's soul and consciousness took refuge within the black pearl. He felt dazed, as though floating in water, experiencing the entire process of rebirth as an embryo—gaining a deeper understanding of life itself.

The embryo grew rapidly, and the abundant life force it radiated caused the sparse woodland to flourish; plants grew wild, ancient trees soared skyward, and even the local beasts began to gather. Yet none dared approach the heart of this forest, for that primordial aura awoke terror in their bones, making them shudder and bow in instinctive submission.

When Chen Mu regained consciousness, his psychic connection with Rou'er was restored. Overcome with joy, Rou'er immediately rushed toward him. Her injuries, though not severe, had left her weak from exhaustion, and it took her several days to reach the now-majestic forest.

Rou'er was astonished—lush vegetation everywhere, life force thick in the air, beasts coming and going. This place already showed signs of becoming a second Xingluan Mountain's outer region.

Following the densest aura, she soon found Chen Mu, slumbering within the red crystal fruit. He had already developed to his former size—though he appeared fourteen or fifteen, his bones were only days old.

"Woodhead, are you alright? When our mental link was suddenly severed, I was so worried," Rou'er called, trying to awaken him, but Chen Mu remained motionless within the crystal fruit.

Though awake, Chen Mu was still adapting to his new body and could not move. Relieved to sense Rou'er was unharmed—he had worried about her facing three Nascent Soul cultivators—he sent a pulse of spiritual intent.

Sensing his response, Rou'er smiled—he had heard her, and so was unharmed.

Curious, Rou'er scanned the plant with her spirit sense. The deeper she probed, the more shocked she became. The ancient aura was much like that of a race from her own memories. When she saw that the plant's roots were in fact Chen Mu's old body, her eyes reddened, her gaze fierce—two Chen Mus? Was his injury truly so grave?

Sensing her agitation, Chen Mu quickly explained via spiritual transmission: "Don't worry, Rou'er. The body beneath the earth is my old one—half destroyed by Liu Zhongdao of the Moonblade Sect. I had a treasure inside me, a black pearl. It's what caused my body to become this plant and is now rebuilding me anew. Yet I sense this new body is extraordinary—while it resembles a human, it's not human."

Rou'er calmed at his words. "Indeed, you are no longer human—your aura is that of an ancient race."

"An ancient race? Which one?"

"The first race of the Immortal Domain, the original bearers of Heaven's Will—the Divine Race," Rou'er said solemnly.

Chen Mu was stunned. "The Divine Race?"

"Yes, the Divine Race. My inherited memories confirm it—the aura is unmistakable. That black pearl of yours must be a relic of the Divine Race. Only they possessed the power to transform a mere mortal into one of their own. Sadly, the Divine Race was exterminated by the human immortals."

"Exterminated by humans? But weren't they stronger than humans?"

"Far stronger. But the Divine Race could hardly reproduce, while humans were countless. Though weaker, humanity triumphed through sheer numbers and destroyed the Divine Race."

"Why? Was the Divine Race evil?"

"No. They were not evil. The true evil was humanity, greedy for Heaven's Mandate. To become Heaven's chosen, they slaughtered the Divine Race," Rou'er said, her gaze complicated.

Chen Mu fell silent. Indeed, human greed was terrifying; after all, it was the Biluodao Sect's covetousness for his life force that led to the destruction of the Starwatching Valley.